Mentoring Programs and Career Development Among Young Professionals in Nigeria’s Aviation Sector

This study examines the role of formal mentoring programs in supporting career development among young professionals in Nigeria's aviation sector, drawing data from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in Lagos and Abuja. The aviation industry's critical safety requirements and technical complexity make structured career mentoring a workforce development imperative, yet formal mentoring frameworks in Nigerian aviation institutions remain nascent. A professional development research design was employed, with data collected from 85 early-career aviation professionals and their assigned mentors through questionnaires and structured interviews. Super's Career Development Theory and Kram's Mentoring Functions Framework provide the conceptual scaffolding. Findings reveal that participants in FAAN's formal mentoring pilot program report significantly faster mastery of technical competencies, stronger professional networks, and higher career confidence compared to unmentored peers. The study further identifies a mismatch between mentors' perceived roles and mentees' actual developmental needs, with mentors tending toward psychosocial support while mentees prioritize technical knowledge transfer. Female mentees report additional benefits from mentoring relationships in terms of navigating gender-specific career barriers, including assignment to safety-critical roles that women are traditionally underrepresented in. Recommendations include formalizing mentoring programs across all aviation agencies, training mentors in developmental coaching techniques, and establishing cross-agency mentoring pools to expand the talent exchange. This study contributes to aviation HR and professional development literature in Nigeria. Keywords: mentoring programs, career development, aviation sector, young professionals, FAAN